Pairs of flexible, waterproof floor mats are designed and fabricated by car manufacturers for each model of car. Car floor mats are intended to protect the floor carpeting of the vehicle from staining, discoloration, or adhering materials such as tar, oil, gum, and various foods. The floor mat itself, however, is commonly contaminated with material that is unsightly and cannot be completely removed such as gum, oil, or tar, or with substances that create odors that cannot be totally eliminated, such as those made by spilled substances or pets, so that the interior of the car becomes unsightly or unpleasant. In such a case, the user of the vehicle often prefers to discard such a contaminated mat. Car manufacturers usually offer replacement mats custom made for designated models, often in pairs. The cost, although not high, is yet not inexpensive. Non-custom made vehicle floor mats are available, but these mats also can be somewhat costly.
Conventional car floor mats vary in configuration in accordance with vehicle models, but it can be said that all car floor mats are somewhat irregular in configuration. Also, custom mats have variously dimensioned outer edges that fit around variously positioned vehicle mechanisms. These edges can be rectangular or curvilinear in configuration.
Replaceable covers for floor mats in general are known in the art. One such cover is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,980, issued May 23, 1972 to Conklin. This patent discloses a soft fabric cover that encloses the top side of a door mat and also removably secured to the underside of the mat by a hook fabric fastener strip engaged by a strip of matted fabric attached to the underside of the door mat.